C. R. Nelson, J. K. Nelson, and S. N. Lyman (Brigham Young University)
Invertebrate samples were taken from the island of Maupiti, the smallest and westernmost island in the Society Island archipelago. Maupiti is a small, volcanic, high island of 13.5 km2 located 280 km west of Tahiti. The isolation and small size of the island make it amenable to a rigorous survey of the insect fauna. The results of this survey will be added to those of other remote regions of the world for comparisons of colonization and establishment rates. Samples were collected with yellow pan traps and malaise traps, which were deployed on a coral sand beach of this volcanic island. The number of species present in each collected sample, as well as the number of individuals from each species, will be recorded. In this preliminary study, the cumulative number of observed species will be compared with the number of samples analyzed to determine the number of samples required to adequately estimate total macroinvertebrate diversity on this beach and similar isolated island beaches. Initial observations indicate that macroinvertebrate diversity on Maupiti beaches is relatively low, but endemism is higher than originally thought.
Ua rave matou i te tahi mau manumanu no Maupiti mai i te
matahiti 2002. E mea huru atea Maupiti i te mau fenua rahi
no Polinesia. E mea huru nainai atoa teie fenua Maupiti.
No te reira ateatearaa e te nainai e au ia matou ia ite
i te rahiraa of te mau manumanu te vai iho ra. Na teie huru
tuatapaparaa e faaite ia tatou i te huru o te haapurararaa
o te mau manumanu i te tahi mau vahi ateatea i roto i teie
nei ao. Ua faaohipa matou i te mau pani rearea tei i i te
miti e te pu'a no te haruru i te mau manumanu iti, mai te
ra'o te huru. Na matou e faaite i te rahiraa manumanu te
o i roto i teie mau faaharururaa ia ite matou e ua roaa
anei te rahiraa o te mau huru manumanu mai teie raveraa.
Teie te parau api, e mea huru varavara te mau hoho'a manumanu
i te pae tatahi i Maupiti, area ra e mau manumanu ai'a teie.
Hoe a huru e no Maupiti ana'e te tahi mau pueraa.